Port vs Starboard: What Every Cruiser Needs to Know Before Picking Their Cabin Location

Port is the left side of a cruise ship and starboard is the right side when facing forward toward the bow. These nautical terms help you navigate everything from finding your cabin to meeting friends at the pool bar on deck seven. Knowing the difference can also affect which cabin you book - especially on Alaska or Mexican Riviera cruises where the "right" side means better glacier views, whale watching opportunities, or stunning sunsets depending on your sailing direction.

You're standing in a cruise ship hallway that stretches longer than a football field, cabin key in hand, completely turned around. The crew member says your room is "starboard side, forward" - and you have no idea which way to walk. This scenario plays out thousands of times on embarkation day, and the solution is simpler than you might think.

What Do Port and Starboard Mean on a Cruise Ship?

Starboard refers to the right side of a cruise ship when you're facing forward toward the bow, while port refers to the left side. These terms remain constant regardless of which direction you personally face - unlike "left" and "right," which change based on your orientation. When a crew member tells you the casino is "port side, deck six," they mean the left side of the ship as if you were standing at the back looking toward the front.

Ships dock on either side depending on the port layout and captain's discretion, so port side doesn't literally mean the side facing the dock (though that's a common misconception). The terms apply to the ship itself, not its relationship to land.

Where Did Port and Starboard Originate?

According to NOAA, these terms trace back to ancient vessels that used a steering oar mounted on the right side of the stern. Since most sailors were right-handed, they controlled the oar from the right, leading to the Old English term "steorbord" (steer-side), which evolved into starboard.

As ships grew larger, captains began docking on the opposite side from the steering oar to protect it from damage against the pier. This loading side was initially called "larboard," but the similarity in sound to "starboard" caused dangerous confusion during storms and battles. Maritime authorities eventually replaced larboard with "port" - a clear, distinct term that couldn't be misheard in rough conditions.

How to Remember Which Side Is Port and Starboard

Several memory tricks help cruisers keep these terms straight, and finding one that clicks for you makes ship navigation much easier.

The Letter Count Method

"Port" and "left" both have four letters. This simple association works for most people and requires no visualization.

The Wine Glass Approach

Red port wine is traditionally passed to the left at formal dinners. Port side also displays red navigation lights at night, while starboard shows green. If you enjoy a glass of port during your cruise's formal night, you'll never forget which side is which.

The Alphabet Method

In alphabetical order, "left" comes before "right" and "port" comes before "starboard." Both pairs follow the same sequence.

The Consecutive Letters Method

"R" and "S" are consecutive letters in the alphabet - "R" for Right and "S" for Starboard. No other combination of left, right, port, and starboard has first letters that are consecutive.

Why Cabin Side Matters on West Coast Cruises

For Caribbean cruises or round-trip sailings, cabin side rarely makes a significant difference since you'll see land on both sides at various points. However, one-way cruises and specific West Coast itineraries make the port versus starboard decision genuinely important for maximizing your views.

Alaska Cruise Cabin Selection

Northbound Alaska cruises sailing from Seattle or Vancouver toward Seward or Whittier position the dramatic coastline, glaciers, and wildlife on the starboard side. Choosing a starboard balcony cabin means waking up to glacier views from your private space rather than the open Gulf of Alaska. This detail can enhance the entire experience when you're planning that bucket-list Alaska adventure.

Southbound sailings flip this equation - port side cabins face the coastline instead. Round-trip Alaska cruises from Seattle offer excellent views on both sides since you'll travel up one direction and return the other.

During glacier viewing in Glacier Bay or near Hubbard Glacier, captains typically rotate the ship 360 degrees so all passengers get unobstructed photos regardless of cabin location. Still, being on the land-facing side means catching glimpses of bald eagles, humpback whales, and coastal towns from your balcony throughout the voyage.

Mexican Riviera Cruise Cabin Selection

Cruises departing Los Angeles or San Diego and heading south to the Mexican Riviera offer prime whale watching opportunities from December through April when humpback and gray whales migrate from Alaska to the warm waters around Cabo San Lucas. While whales can appear on either side of the ship, choosing the starboard side on southbound sailings positions your balcony facing the Baja California coastline rather than open Pacific.

As your ship approaches Cabo San Lucas, starboard cabins also offer views of the famous El Arco rock formation at Land's End and the dramatic desert mountains meeting the Sea of Cortez. For cruisers who want to watch the sun set over the Pacific during evening sailings south, port side cabins capture those golden hour views since the sun sets in the west - to your left when heading south.

California Coastal Cruise Cabin Selection

Coastal cruises between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego sail along one of the most scenic stretches of North American coastline. When sailing southbound from San Francisco or northbound to Vancouver, consider which views matter most to you.

Southbound sailings from San Francisco to Los Angeles or San Diego place the California coastline on your starboard side - perfect for watching the rugged Big Sur cliffs, Monterey Bay, and Santa Barbara's "American Riviera" pass by your balcony. Port side cabins on these same southbound routes capture spectacular Pacific sunsets as the ship cruises toward Mexico.

Northbound coastal cruises reverse these positions, with port side facing the coastline and starboard capturing sunsets over the open ocean.

Sunrise and Sunset Positioning

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west - a fact that matters when choosing between morning light streaming into your cabin or golden sunset views from your balcony. On West Coast cruises:

• Northbound sailings - starboard cabins get morning sun; port captures sunsets
• Southbound sailings - port cabins get morning sun; starboard captures sunsets

Plan according to whether you're an early riser with coffee or prefer evening cocktails watching the sky turn orange.

How Cruise Lines Make Navigation Easier

Modern cruise lines recognize that most passengers aren't professional sailors and have developed systems to reduce confusion.

Virgin Voyages A/Z System

Virgin Voyages simplified cabin identification by adding letter suffixes to room numbers. Cabins ending in "A" are located on the port side (left), while cabins ending in "Z" sit on starboard (right). A cabin number like 12206A tells you immediately that you're on deck 12, port side. This airline-inspired approach eliminates the need to remember nautical terminology when finding your room after a long night at the ship's venues.

Princess Cruises Color-Coded Carpets

Princess Cruises uses different carpet colors in cabin hallways to help guests identify which side of the ship they're on. The port side hallways feature carpets with red accents (matching the international red color for port-side navigation lights), while starboard hallways use blue accents. Simply remember which color corresponds to your cabin's side, and you'll orient yourself quickly after stepping off the elevator.

Disney Cruise Line Directional Carpets

Disney takes a creative approach with carpet patterns that indicate direction. The cabin hallway carpets feature world maps and compass star designs that always face forward - if the map appears right-side up as you walk, you're heading toward the bow. Disney Dream-class ships also use different decorative mail holders outside staterooms: fish designs on port side, seahorse designs on starboard.

General Cruise Line Signage

Most major cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival incorporate directional signage at elevator banks and stairwell entrances indicating forward, aft, port, and starboard. Many ships also feature touchscreen directories near elevators that show your current location and provide directions to restaurants, theaters, and your cabin.

Practical Applications Beyond Finding Your Cabin

Understanding port and starboard extends beyond cabin navigation into daily cruise life.

Meeting Up with Your Group

When you're cruising with family or friends and want to meet at the pool bar, "starboard side near the hot tubs" is more precise than "somewhere by the pool." On ships with multiple pool areas, this specificity saves everyone time wandering around looking for each other.

Lifeboat Drill Stations

Muster stations are assigned by cabin location, typically on the same side of the ship as your room. Knowing whether you're port or starboard helps you find your station faster during the mandatory safety drill - and in the unlikely event of an actual emergency.

Tender Boarding

At ports where the ship anchors offshore and passengers take smaller boats to land, tender boarding often happens on one specific side. Announcements like "tender boarding now available on the port side, deck four" make much more sense when you understand the terminology.

The Bottom Line on Port vs Starboard For Picking The Perfect Cabin

Port means left and starboard means right when facing the bow - commit that to memory and you've conquered the most common source of confusion on cruise ships. For Alaska cruises departing from West Coast ports like Seattle, San Francisco, or Vancouver, book starboard for northbound sailings and port for southbound routes to maximize your glacier and coastline views. Mexican Riviera cruisers heading south from Los Angeles should consider starboard for Baja coastline views or port for Pacific sunsets.

Here's a piece of cruise trivia to share at the captain's welcome party: the popular belief that "posh" originated from "Port Out, Starboard Home" - supposedly stamped on tickets for wealthy British passengers traveling to India - is actually a myth. According to etymologists at Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary, no such tickets have ever been found, and the word "posh" predates this explanation by decades. The real origin likely traces to Romani slang for money. Still, the debunked story persists because it's such a satisfying explanation - much like how port and starboard feel more nautical and proper than simply saying left and right.

Written by: James Hills

Pro-BloggerWest Coast Cruise ExpertThought Leader

James is an avid fan of all types of cruising but especially enjoys exploring the Pacific coastal regions since it perfectly captures the elements that he is passionate about, including natural beauty, conservation, opportunities to explore new cultures, and meeting some fantastic new people too.